“I can do hard things,” is the affirmation that Kailei Collins, a track athlete and founder of Perfektly Prepped smoothies, lives by as she juggles the demanding schedule of a Division I athlete and business owner.
Students-athletes don’t only work on the field, but hustle outside of sports as well, capitalizing on entrepreneurship and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities for sources of income.
Collins, a graduate health administration student, former athlete of the year and 2025 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) indoor track and field champion in the 60-meter and 200-meter dashes, started the business in 2024 during her first year of graduate school.
Collins shared that opening her business marked a significant time for growth and rediscovery, and she continues to share her discoveries with others.
“Perfektly Prepped is the manifestation of a calling rooted to impact God’s people meaningfully,” she said. “That season of my life not only taught me the importance of being intentional about the life you want to create, but my responsibility in sharing it.”
She has partnered with Howard University men’s and women’s basketball, volleyball and track and field teams, catering her smoothies to connect across the athletics department and encourage wellness.
However, this dynamic lifestyle raises the challenges of being spread thin between responsibilities.
“As a startup, I’ve been a one-woman team—prepping, delivering, marketing—all while training, competing, on top of working toward my master’s in health administration,” she said.
In addition to affirmations, Collins said she depends on her belief in God to continue pursuing her goals.
Eric Brown II also known as “EB the Barber,” is a senior decathlete and owner of TwiinKutz. In 2024 Brown broke the school record in his indoor conference championship performance, adding 100 points to his previous best result. He is a three-time championship gold medalist, with titles and school-best marks in the decathlon and heptathlon.
Brown used his prior experience in barbering as an opportunity to make money. He shared similar struggles as Collins in balancing track and field with his business.
“I would say the greatest challenge is energy. Going to class, then practice, then coming back to cut can be exhausting,” Brown said.
Though it takes a toll on his energy, Brown views cutting hair as a de-stressor at the end of the day before he transitions to his schoolwork.
Brown perseveres through adversities by holding himself accountable through a strict schedule and time management, allowing him to run his business efficiently.
Start-up businesses are just one way that Howard athletes are hustling for profit. Taj Benton, a gold medalist for the 400-meter relay on Howard’s swim team and a notable contributor to the university’s second conference championship, is the newest signee for The IPO Group, a management firm.
“NIL is a way for college athletes to make money based on their name and image, inspiring other athletes to achieve and strive for greater in their sport as they get paid and recognized for their contributions to their team,” he said.
Benton feels that the NIL deal will help with his personal exposure and HBCU swimming and diving, exposing Black talent to wider audiences.
“This opportunity means that the work that I’ve been putting in is slowly starting to pay off, and it inspires me to work even harder to achieve more.”
Copy edited by Aniyah Genama
